Drakan - The Ancients' Gates
Some tips (may contain small spoilers!): * The first 3-4 hours of play for this game are the hardest. You do not have enough experience to get a decent weapons/spell and the enemies ain't too weak in comparison with those you'll encounter later. This is a crash test for your skills. Thus in Shadowmire you would consider to perform better using bow than a sword. * Gaining experience in the beginning, you may want to spent the hard earned points to some Melee and Archery exhancement but upgrading Magic skills later is a must! * Please do not forget that you can lock onto any enemy. It may help a lot in some situations and it is the only way to know how mush damage have you already dealt. The lock indicator around enemy will go from yellow (no damage dealt) to orange, red and finally black (almost dead). * When fighting skeletons it's better to use the fast sword than any other weapon. Squat down and wait for them coming constantly using your sword. They'll be dead in no time. * When fighting with bosses and tough enemies (and most of them are tough in this game) try to trick the weak game AI by hiding behind some obstacles like small rocks, walls, corners, etc. Even when the enemy is visible by 1-2% you can kill it without spending too much of any precious resource (including HP). Running around rocks when using magic is considered a wise strategy. * When fighting on the stairs/doorways remember that most of the enemies cannot follow you up or through so hide in small rooms using range weapons or magic. * As for the magic spells not all of them are useful. Some like Fireball or Ice Blast are too hard to use with the current control scheme (unless you're locking onto enemy but that's hardly acceptable when they are in groups). Your best friends are Rejuvenate for healing and the spells like Lightning Bolt (you'll get it for free in Andrellian Isles) or Soul Stealer. Time Slow also is a must when you're going to use melee weapons on strong enemies. * The easiest way to kill the enemy dragon on the early stages of the game is to use Arokh lighting ability. And this ability will only be available after Andrellian Isles so every dragon battle before will be exremely tough. If you want to try to finish the quest of Khossa Vole before you have this spell it would be extremely hard but still doable. You'll have to lure all four bone dragons one by one and kill them by moving backwards or orbiting them fireing continually. That will keep them in a distance. * On the later stages however you may like to use sonic breath better. It will especially be useful against bone dragons because continual firing keeps them away. Locking on them also can help you when you have enough room to maneuver. * When fighting with strong dragons like Shaza and Tora (they are unleashed together) that strategy may not be enough. The only safe and sure way to kill them is to hide around the corner of a mountain (so the dragon cannot be seen) and fire your sonic alternative periodically into the area so that it affects the invisible dragon. Alternatively you may want to leave them inside the desert area "visiting" it to deal some damage and retreating to heal yourself. Othewise try your luck in extreme battle in an open air (though it may not last long). Extras: The gallery: Image:Drakan2-shot1.png|This is Surdana Image:Drakan2-shot2.png|Ravenshold is a snowy realm Image:Drakan2-shot3.png|There's something fishy about this guy... Image:Drakan2-shot4.png|Meet Rynn (quite a rich girl) Image:Drakan2-shot5.png|Hold on and don't look down! Image:Drakan2-shot6.png|This is some hospitable looking place! Image:Drakan2-shot9.png|When the spirit is strong no dungeon can keep it. Image:Drakan2-shot10.png|This set of crates is almost impossible to master in the emulated version of the game Image:Drakan2-shot14.png|This unusual sword is really hard to get! Image:Drakan2-shot13.png|Even in death they still are longing for the sky Image:Drakan2-shot28.png|This architecture is... creepy Image:Drakan2-shot20.png|Hmmm! This is a whole another story! Image:Drakan2-shot27.png|One frame from the last video: the proof that game can be beaten in emulator! External links * Drakan FAQ by ilphay FAQ highlighting some possible quiestions. * Drakan 2 page by Ray Earle Very good guide! Wholeheartedly recommended!